I headed out early yesterday because I'm the sort of girl who can't be bothered doing something if she doesn't do it right. Oh, and I'm super-short, so being up front is very important to me. I waited around in the freezing cold for quite some time, talking to a bunch of cool people on line. That's one thing about shows in the scene -- chances are, you'll meet good people in line and pass the time with some friends for a day.
When they finally let us in, it felt like a year passed before Weatherbox took the stage. Their set was short [6 songs], but they were phenomenal, as I expected. They were definitely winning the crowd over as their set went on, and they were adorable, mostly because Brian wasn't wearing shoes on stage. I can't explain why, but there was something wildly endearing about that. Their sound was lush and the vocals were amazing. This is a band to seriously take note of, if you haven't already.
Biffy Clyro was up next, and I have to say... I was impressed. I've never liked this band on CD, but live, they're pretty mind-blowing. They're one of those three-pieces that makes you wonder how they pull off the sound they do without a second guitarist. Another short set [7 songs] but again, the crowd was into them, and it was a good time.
Before too long, Manchester Orchestra was up. The crowd started to get a bit rough at this point and I found myself in an interesting position where I was far too up close and personal with the state. The crowd surfing also began, for reasons I can't quite understand, as Manchester Orchestra is pretty mellow. I liked them far more than I thought I would -- and definitely would have liked them even more if I wasn't in pain from the surging crowd and developing a panic attack about just how bad it was going to get when Say Anything came out.
And let me tell you... it got bad. I was actually unable to move before the band even came on. If you've ever seen the movie Signs, where the lady was pinned to a tree by a car? That's what I felt like, only I was pinned to a stage by a few hundred people surging behind me. I was bent over the stage before the band even came on, and a very kind crew member came along and lifted a few of us out of the crowd, letting us sit on the edge of the stage. Yes, dear readers, a dream of mine has been fulfilled -- I sat on the stage, at Max Bemis' feet for the whole set.
Say Anything is a band like no other. Max is mind-blowing to watch up close. He's so lost in the music, in the crowd... it's awe-inspiring. Everyone in the bad looked like they were having fun, and I think they really enjoyed just how insane the crowd was. Honestly, I can't think of a rougher show, and this is over a 16-year career of going to shows, including metal festivals. I have bruises across my thighs, it hurts to sit, and my ankle bone is bruised as well. Would I do it again? Hell yes... I'm doing it Saturday.
Say Anything played a good mix of ...Is A Real Boy and In Defense of the Genre. They also played the older acoustic song "Walk Through Hell," which was amazing, and a cover of Smashing Pumpkins' "Stand Inside Your Love."
If you can catch this tour, I highly recommend it. I'm not one for four-band shows, but all of them were impressive, and with Say Anything to cap it all off? It was one of the most memorable and amazing shows of my life.
Here's the video I caught of "Stand Inside Your Love." I did my best to keep the camera still, but I was getting jostled by the crowd that was still pushing behind me, as well as people kicking me in the head while crowd surfing:
*sigh*
Yep, I'm definitely looking forward to doing it all again tomorrow.
